Tokerau Carmenère 2007
Life is a box of chocolates according to Forrest Gump’s mama, which probably suits my moody temperament. My current mood in respect of grapes is, as ever, two faced. One old school tie, one new kid on the block (to me anyway). I am currently on a virtual world tour of Pinot Noirs which I described as the Brigitte Bardot of grapes. The other varietal that has piqued my interest recently is Carmenère, which is the James Dean of grapes. A rebel without a cause that lives on the edge, smokes a lot, and whilst externally attractive, lacks substance. Scratch under the surface, and often you will simply find more surface.
This Chilean Carmenère from the Colchagua Valley is available exclusively through Virgin Wines in the UK. It smells of egg custard, wood smoke and blackcurrant which is pleasant enough. The taste has beetroot, vanilla, blackberry and blackcurrant.
At 14% you might expect a bold wine. The colour is a very deep and moody purple, but the wine is not as dark and deadly as it looks. Indeed, it went rather well with a pork chop, and later in the evening with a spot of Cornish Yarg (yes, that’s the cheese wrapped in nettles).
Beguiling and moody, it is not exactly a Giant of wine but neither will it leave you floundering East of Eden. As for Carmenère, it’s enough to encourage me to keep putting my hand in the box and seeing which chocolate comes out next.